Wolf Tooth CTRL-ALT-DEL: rebooting clipless pedals

Developing the Wolf Tooth clipless pedals took over two years of designing, testing, riding and looking at every detail. Each feature was lab and trail tested to find the perfect balance in the pedal body, bindings, cleat and axle design.

Crucial touchpoints define your ride, with the bars, saddle, tyres and shoes all being important considerations. Pedals are a vital link between the rider and the machine, since they provide power transfer, control and a connection that makes them more crucial than another component. As with the Waveform and Ripsaw gravity pedals, Wolf Tooth decided it was time to design from the ground up.

Three new pedals are in the lineup, across most disciplines: the trail ready CTRL pedal, the ALT lightweight, dual-sided cross-country pedal and the ultra-light DEL single-sided gravel pedal.

Wolf Tooth wanted to nail every aspect of its clipless pedals and focused on eight areas that really matter.

Connection

The CTRL, ALT and DEL pedal bodies have all been designed for maximum pedal and shoe contact. Across the range, this connection removes any sensation of ‘standing on a golf ball’ to increase power transfer and improve foot stability, for enviable control on the trails. Each pedal has been dialled in specifically for its defined discipline and the range truly dwarfs the competition.

Adjustable Q-Factor

This is becoming more and more relevant, as riders switch from road, gravel and MTB machines. Road bikes typically use a 145-150mm Q factor, whilst gravel-wide setups can be up to 155mm and MTB can be as wide as 170mm. Aligning all your bikes closely will mean harnessing greater pedalling efficiencies. Riders can set the Q factor on the Wolf Tooth clipless pedal range, as standard, to 51, 55 or 59mm with just two hex keys. Additional 2mm shim kits are also available, to really dial in the Q factor – a proper game-changer for bike fit.

Find out more about Q factor and how to adjust the CTRL, ALT and DEL pedals here.

Cleat design and engagement

Wolf Tooth set out to reboot clipless pedals and realised the opportunity was there not to redesign the cleat. With countless cleat designs on the market, SPD offers compactness and reliability, plus it is already adopted by a vast majority of riders. The full range of pedals, then, is compatible with SPD cleats.

Wolf Tooth also meticulously designed its own cleat with multiple points of engagement, so that you can stamp into the pedal as well as clipping in with the more common, toe first engagement.

Ground and cornering clearance

Extensive CNC machining of the pedal body has allowed Wolf Tooth to thin down its bodies to just 14.7mm for the DEL and 15mm for the CTRL and ALT, to minimise strikes and keep you pedalling through the rough stuff.

Bearing and Axle Design

Leveraging the Waveform axle and bearing design gives proven reliability to the clipless pedal range. As gravity pedals, the CTRL, ALT and DEL spin on a heat treated, 17-4 PH stainless steel axle, with three custom bearings and an igus bushing, and all of their components are easily replaceable, should something wear.

Materials Count

Hardened stainless steel bindings with stainless hardware will laugh off abuse and combat the worst of the weather, giving you a pedal that’ll last longer than any other pedal you have had before. Even better, with Wolf Tooth’s “Right to Repair”, every part is available as a spare, so that you can re-build the pedals should you need to.

Mud performance

The beautifully machined, 6061-T6 aluminium CNC body doesn’t just enhance the pedals’ aesthetics, the precise machining creates narrower axle housings that help to clear mud in the worst conditions.

Lightweight performance

Let’s face it, weight matters, whether you are an XC race whippet or riding in the bike park. The lighter the bike, the better it will feel chasing the perfect line. Every gram has been considered for these pedals, making them some of the lightest in their class, without affecting their durability and performance.

CTRL

Body: 6061-T6 aluminium
Body design: dual sided
Axle: heat treated 17-4 PH stainless steel
Binding & hardware: stainless steel
Thickness: 15mm
Platform area: 941mm²
Q factor: 51, 55, 59mm
Weight: 328g
Discipline: trail

The CTRL trail clipless pedal has been engineered to give an unwavering connection and control, no matter how technical the trail gets.

With its low stack height and ultra-slim profile, the CTRL keeps you planted and stable, with its extra-large platform giving confidence-inspiring shoe contact and allowing you to push harder, corner faster and stay in control when things get rowdy.

The CTRL tips the scale at just 328g, and with its low profile and sleek body, will glance off rocks, shed mud and give all day efficiency and confidence-inspiring performance.

ALT

Body: 6061-T6 aluminium
Body design: dual sided
Axle: heat treated 17-4 PH stainless steel
Binding & hardware: stainless steel
Thickness: 15mm
Platform area: 497mm²
Q factor: 51, 55, 59mm
Weight: 295g
Discipline: XC/gravel

The ALT clipless pedal is geared towards those who demand absolute connection and efficiency on XC and gravel rides. Its low profile and light, 295g weight allow it to deliver the perfect balance of platform support and power transfer, giving you an edge.

With a body height of just 15mm, the ALT sits close to the axle for stability, whilst also providing impressive cornering clearance and the ability to thread through rock-strewn trails. Its increased platform area gives planted control that will ignite speed.

DEL

Body: 6061-T6 aluminium
Body design: single sided
Axle: heat treated 17-4 PH stainless steel
Binding & hardware: stainless steel
Thickness: 14.7mm
Platform area: 559mm²
Q factor: 51, 55, 59mm
Weight: 217g
Discipline: gravel

Sitting in a class of its own, the DEL gravel race pedal is built for those who want the stability of a road pedal with the versatility of a gravel setup.

Ultralight, slim and efficient, the DEL combines road race responsiveness with two-bolt cleat compatibility across XC and gravel disciplines. Its single-sided, CNC-machined body receives the most intricate machining of any Wolf Tooth pedal, giving it an impressive platform and incredible mud clearance.

At just 14.7mm in height, the DEL keeps you low on the axle for superior power transfer, while offering exceptional cornering clearance. Its pared-back design ensures each pair of pedals weighs just 217g, meaning the DEL is so light and efficient that it blurs the line between gravel and road racing.